Had a fun few days with the car.

Tried to straighten out the flywheel cover as it was getting hit, but when reinstalling the starter, I overtightened and stupidly broke the plastic cap to the starter solenoid (it was late, I was tired, etc...) I didn't notice and tried to start it - car ran for a minute followed by an electrical short, some smoke... Killed the car and tried to re-start it after a minute. Car blacked out completely. No power anywhere.

I assumed starter fusible links.

Pulling about at the harness down there, I find something odd: an extra red wire running from the end of one of the starter fusible links, spliced into the red power wire using some crappy scotchlock going straight back to the battery. What the hell is that supposed to do?? It was done so badly that when I pulled the tape apart, all three wires just came apart... but why the hell would a wire run from there back to the battery? That cable already has 12V to it!

I was going to just pull it out and ignore, but I thought I'd better ask and see if anyone has any bright ideas about quite why this random, apparently pointless wire is there.

Cheers,

N

 

Sounds like the fusible link was bypassed

 

Sounds like you need to follow the wire and see where it goes.

We're out here; it's like, SOOOOPER dark in the UK right now. All of us can't see the wires. Only you can. Not much point in asking us where it goes.

 

Oh jeez, that makes sense... and at the same time no sense at all. What crazy nutter would bypass the fusible link and leave the whole loom un-fused?!

Which leads me to my next question I guess... I pulled the C100 connected and checked continuity across the car, which confirmed I was looking at the correct red wire, and also that the OTHER fusible link from the starter was ok...

So if the wiring was complete (kinda) and no 'fusible' (or non fusible as it turned out) links burnt out.... why did my car totally black out? As far as I can tell there's no 'MAIN FUSE' or circuit breaker anywhere, is there?

All fuses in the fuse box are ok (well, apart from the fuel pump fuse, but that was blown before). I guess I can put together the wiring again and see if the car works... but I need to buy fusible links from the US (I can't find even fusible wire over here!!) so if I need to buy more stuff, being forewarned speeds things up a bit!

 

A HUMAN.

Those things are SO DUMB, just when you think you've already seen the dumbest thing one of em can possibly do, another one will up and surprise you with something even dumber.

Worst of all, most of em have no clue how electricity works, and are actually PROUD of it.

Fusible link wire is available world-wide. AFAIK cars (and other things) of all nationalities use it. Shouldn't be a problem. Use the Google and see where it can find it for you.

Reason the whole car lost power, was probably a bad connection somewhere... probably where that HUMAN had touched something.

 

I know what you're saying - it seems many cars pre-'90 used fusible links, even in the UK. However, you really can't buy it in the UK! eBay only gives links to companies in Oz and the US - usually charging upward of $30 for a piece of wire! I phoned several local motor factors and was met with a sucking of teeth and 'ooh, not seen those for a while...' Seems crazy. Starts to explain why someone with fewer scruples would simply bypass the link.

One alternative would be to install midi fuses, but given the most effective place for them will be down by the starter, they'll be in a pretty inhospitable place. My gut instinct is 'when in doubt, go stock'.

Just to confirm: there's no other 'main fuse' that could turn off the whole car? It kinda bugs me that, despite at least one of the links being connected and apparently ok, the whole car still didn't have power anywhere - no gauges, no interior lights, no under-hood light nothing...

 

Kinda weird; not sure why such a thing would be commonplace elsewhere in the world but not in the UK. Oh well, maybe it's just another anomaly you can chalk up to HUMANS and their illogical, irrational behavior and overall lack of predictability.

AFAIK there's nothing else that can do that, except maybe a bad connection somewhere.

The fusible links each protect one big red wire. There are 2 such wires. Each powers about half the stuff in the car. You might find for example that one feeds power to the ign sw & HL sw, and the other to the AC and power accessories.

 

Hmmm, I wonder when my fusible links will arrive...

I was pottering about with the car this afternoon. I found a slightly scorched crimp-connector under the driver's dash, which led to the headlamp foot-flasher. Not sure how significant that is.

I reconnected the power wire from the battery to the existing fusible link (I left the bypassed link disconnected) to see how many systems powered up the car. Nothing responded. The fusible link looks fine, isn't stretchy and there still seems to be continuity across to the C100 connector (measured 0.0ohms resistance?!). I'm still worried that no link was broken at the starter and somewhere else in the loom has taken the hit from the short circuit. I measured power from the fusible link to the battery ground and measured 12.7 volts, but when measuring to either the alternator ground or a body ground, I measured only 0.25v. So I guess no proper fuse has been tripped, and some weak connection remains somewhere...

Has anyone any suggestion on how proceed? I'm going to replace the two fusible links and the starter solenoid (when they all arrive...) but if the car doesn't power up, I think I'm going to be calling the UK's only F-body specialist to send a trailer...

 

Your statement about the voltage reading from the fusible link to the alternator body or a body ground being about 0.25 volts tells you that you have a bad ground somewhere. Check your ground cable from the battery to the engine and then the grounds from the engine to firewall and frame. HTH!

 

Well, it seems my fusible links have finally arrived! Pity my starter solenoid is still stuck somewhere in a distribution centre in Kentucky...

I'm not convinced by the 'loose connection' theory. The car just kinda turned off when I turned the key to start. It went like a fuse had blown or a wire finally burnt through...

What I can't pinpoint is where that wire (or wires) could be - what wire (given both the 'fusible' links are still passing current) could switch off power to the whole car?

I might pull the dashtop pad at the weekend. Will this expose where wiring enters through the bulkhead from the C100 connector? I'm not quite sure what I'll find when I pull it off.

Cheers guys,

N

 

If that's the Amazon warehouse in Covington (or Hebron, whatever they call it on their web site), ... I drive past it often.

No I don't live in Kentucky.

No I don't think I'll try to stop next time and pick it up for you and ship it. They don't have a will-call counter.

 

No , it will not .

I just a few months back put new front speakers in my car and had the dashtop off to do it , and no you can not see any of the wiring from up there .

If you take the plastic piece out from under the dash , that whole plastic panel that the fusebox cover goes into , then you can see a whole bunch of the wiring .

 

Thanks sofa, it's the thought that counts!

 

Thanks for the heads-up - I won't risk damaging my dashpad, I'll just pull the knee-cover off again and have more of a dig around.

 

Managed to get the 16AWG fuse wire and replaced the existing connection and made good the other connection (cutting out the stupid bypass).

To my surprise, the car sprang back into life and fired up. PHEW!

Unfortunately there's still a loud whirring/squealing and smoke coming from the engine bay: current theory is part of the flywheel cover has come off and got lodged against the flywheel. I've pulled off the cover and the noise is still there! Next weekend I'll clamber back under the car and have a poke around with a torch and see what I find.

Thanks for all the help everyone - everything said was extremely valuable in helping me get this fixed!

Cheers,

Neil